Tuesday, December 23, 2008

As many old students know, there has been a new schedule of test correcting that I have been "trying out" since April. Instead of returning exams once a month, I have been doing them every week, and have created office hours on Fridays.

This has been running at about an 80% success rate and I am quite pleased with it. However, some modifications will be made for the next year to accommodate the few times of year that I have an extra load of lectures or work from other sites. I have not finished modifications to this schedule yet, however, my vision for it is that it would stay intact as a weekly schedule but I would add in some 'school breaks" a few times a year, much like you would have at a regular university (spring break, winter break, a couple weeks for summer break, etc...). This does not mean that I would not be available during these break times for tech support or other questions or that you cannot work during these times. It would only mean that during those "breaks" I would not be correcting exams on a weekly basis and would not have office hours on those weeks.

As I mentioned before, the "weekly" office hours were a new venture this year and everything else about them has been going well. I just forgot to build in some "break or vacation" time - and certainly everyone needs some of that. And without that it may appear that the schedule is "unpredictable" when, in actuality, I can predict with accuracy when those breaks will need to happen. This will help you to plan better as well.

My main goal is to serve you as students and make sure everything goes smoothly, and I believe part of this process is clear guidelines and communication. I have been very happy with the Friday office hours, as this has improved both. However, some misunderstandings have ensued on weeks that I was out of town for lectures or had to take a break for holiday season mailings.

I just wanted to remind all students that my commitment as your teacher in this course is to maintain the course, take care of tech support problems and give you feedback on quizzes, tests and exams.

If you need help with clients, advice on clients, feedback on papers or articles, or other extra advice, please join the consulting list at : www.HerbnHome.com

This list has been open since June 2008 and has been useful to many students, clients and members. Some e-mails I have received lately have indicated that there are some students who are not aware of this other list, or who didn't receive the original announcements in June and August 2008.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

I know its not a cold, but even if it is, I use the same remedy. (she is talking about allergies).

I make a cup of tea with Echinacea, Mint medley (has both peppermint and spearmint) and a teaspoon of Colloid silver, along with a teaspoon of sugar to make my blood sugar go up a bit.

It doesn't take long to feel better. Right now, the tea cup is sitting next to me, cooling off a bit so I don't burn my mouth on it. It is 4:30 a.m. and I just got up feeling the same 'cold' symptoms I had when I went to bed.

By 7 a.m. I felt perfectly normal. Was a perfect combination to control whatever had a hold of me last night and this morning.

This is good to treat something that is “like a cold” with the same remedies. Unlike modern pharmaceuticals, herbs are used because of their properties and because the effects they have on certain systems in the body – they are not used for specific diseases or illnesses. There are some people and companies who have mislabeled herbs “for colds”, “for PMS”, etc…but this is misleading and limits the use of each of these teas, when really, each of these “formulas” could be used for many things. Your usage of the Echinacea and mint is a perfect example of this. Echinacea is good for the immune system in general and when you have allergies it is important to strengthen the immune system. Mints are good for colds, but they also are good for runny noses, itching, stomach problems and a number of other symptoms you may have when your allergies “flare up”.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Although we just updated the E-book for Nutritional Healing only two months ago it seems that a couple of the links are already "broken". They are the "Cooking for the Humors" link on page 45 and the link to Culpeper's Herbal on page 45. I am still looking for the replacement for the 'Cooking for the Humors". The new link for Culpeper's Herbal is:

Friday, November 7, 2008

Student: Self-diagnosis can be very important these days because blood and skin tests do not show up all problems at the doctor's office.

My response: You are absolutely right. Additionally, sometimes combinations of substances (like milk and wheat together) can cause more of a reaction than “just wheat” or “just milk”. A test will not show this.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

This excerpt and my comments are taken from Janet's assignment on aromatherapy. Great job Janet!

Aromatherapy

I want to start off by saying I choose a lot of my oils not only for the properties but also for the affordability.

This is brilliant! I always do this too. First, I ask what people already have in their home, then I think of things that they can use from their kitchen or common items, then I start with the most affordable oils and herbs. Another benefit of this is that the most affordable ones are usually also the most abundant ones. Some of the more expensive oils and herbs are expensive because they are harder to find and some have become over-harvested to near-extinction.

I have learned if you can make things affordable, yet effective to people they are more likely to use it and stay with it. A lot of people just do not have the money now days. If I can make them an effective affordable oil treatment it works for both of us. I have to purchase these to have on hand and also sell them to the consumer, so that is why you might see some similar treatments in some areas. I know they work and they are the more attainable and affordable of the oils. Hope that makes sense and you understand what I mean. Then on top of that a lot of the basics cover so much and are so well rounded it would be silly not to use them if they work regardless of the repetitive nature J Also I have a wonderful flu oil that I burn, when someone is getting a cold or during the winter months. It is Eucalyptus/Tea Tree and just a little bit of cinnamon mainly for the scent…….it is a really great aroma and seems to work well and makes the house smell nice.

I completely agree. I once wrote an article on how you can heal everything with just three herbs (or oils). If each person would pick a variety of three and really get to know those three they would be amazed at what they could do with just three oils or herbs.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

One reason I only consult with registered clients is that it shows me they are ready to heal. If I am giving advice to random people online or to relatives or friends who mention a bad habit (and I jump in with advice) the person may not really be ready to heal and my words may either make it worse, make the person more resistant to change or be wasted, at best. On the other hand, when a person makes a decision to take time and money from their life to make a change (see a healer) this is a good indication that they are ready to heal. Most people I know take their money and time seriously. Even if you are just asking for a small payment or a half hour of their time this can also indicate that they are ready. However - beware of people who send quick e-mails or want to ask you advice "in passing".

We are notoriously stubborn as humans and are often not ready to heal. One student turned in an assignment this week where she talks about how a friend had to go to the emergency room for strep and got so very ill. She mentioned that this event scared her friend into changing her life. She also expressed regret that she had not been able to help this friend at the beginning of her illness before it became to bad.

However, illness and fear are not always a bad thing. Even when I am ill I think about this. Illness can be a teacher or a messenger. It can be a sign for us to stop what we are doing and change our life before it is too late. Sometimes I actually thank my body for being ill.

There is also a wisdom in letting people make their own mistakes. In this person's case, it was probably a good thing she became so ill and nobody could help her because now she is going to make life changes and she is ready. If the student had tried to help her before she got to ill, she would have gotten better and not been motivated to change her life. Sometimes illness can be a gift.

So remember when you are healing...make sure the person is ready to be healed. I am not suggesting you leave someone with a broken arm at the side of the road of course! I am simply saying that the results on your client will be much better if they are ready to be healed first.

This should really come under the heading of student dialogue since I took this from a test and I answered it in my feedback. However, I feel it will be more useful to students if I file it in "student questions". This student has brought up some good points and has come up with her own good solutions. However, some students may be asking themselves these same questions now and not be able to come up with solutions. I hope this can help those students. This is our dialogue"

Student: This is my submission for lesson 201-4. This one was not easy since I don't have 'clients', so I interviewed relatives for the class lesson.

This is what you are supposed to do. Some students use clients because they have them, but the assignment is to use friends or family that you know. So this is correct.

Nobody was sick at the time, so I interviewed them about 'past' illnesses for which they were treated by medical doctors - way late in the illness because they didn't have insurance.

This is also perfect! When I ask students to evaluate I want them to show that they understand the material and not that they have the sickest friends or family or the best clinic. If needed, I can even send you some “pretend clients”. However, I do find that it makes it more “real” and you learn more if you work with people who are close to you in some way.

This is an excerpt from a student assignment this week. She did a WONDERFUL job with all of her clients. This is just a short sample of what she wrote about one of them. I added some additional information and thought I would share it with the group as well because the book I am recommending is well worth reading and reminders about keeping things simple are always good - even for me. I think as healers we want so badly to provide our clients with some herb or food or diet that will help that we can often forget to tell them about the basics. Before I give any client advice or a program I make sure first that they are sleeping enough, eating right, drinking enough water, not taking harmful substances (too much coffee, cigarettes, etc...) and getting exercise. For without these basic things most people will experience some level of illness and natural healing will not be as effective. Natural healing can help people accomlish these things better (like herbs to help you sleep or herbs to give you more energy to exercise, etc...) and herbs can help...but real healing will not happen without the basics in place.

Student Work:."..But I did tell her that maybe a ginger pack for her kidneys would help and some castor oil packs for that spine… She said that everything I told her fit and she was impressed with how accurate they eyes showed her problems………oh one more note, she is tired a lot………..not normal tired, like really tired, but I told her if those kidneys are stressed, those adrenals are as well and when she sees improvement there, she should get a boost of energy as well."

My Feedback :Yes, anyone with kidney issues is going to be really tired. At the very least she should drink a lot more water. Especially with nursing she is going to be so dehydrated. Dehydration is a problem for so many people and they don’t realize it because it is usually not an emergency situation. You can read all about that in “Your Body’s Many Cries for Water” – an amazing book!

Student Work: Aromatherapy for numb fingers: An oil would be good to rub on the hand, fingers and wrist. It cold be carried with him and used as needed. I would use Roman Chamomile (muscle pain), Coriander (circulation), Lemon (CNS stimulant) and Pine (circulation). With the ability to keep it with him at all times, he could use it as needed.

My Feedback: A salve might be better than an oil – if one uses an oil they might be less likely to use it because it would just be “too oily” and take a while to absorb into the skin. My son does not like oils for this reason so we make him salves or add oils to base salves or creams already available on the market. You can make a nice simple salve by melting 1 TBS. of beeswax (grated) into 5 TBS. of oil and then adding some essential oils to it right before it starts to solidify.

Student Suggestions: Arthritis: I would use Blue Chamomile (anti-inflammatory, arthritis), Juniper (arthritis), Lavender (analgesic) and Rosemary (arthritis, muscle pain).This is easy to use. I would make into a massage oil and apply to the area. This could be carried easily with the client at all times. It will be easy to use and apply and keep with a person. My client gets upset when the pain starts and has trouble in thinking of what they need, so to have it already prepared for her and easy to use will cut down on that.

My Feedback: When I lived in the Middle East I met many women who were told (by their mother or some wise woman) that they should drink chamomile tea for arthritis. All of these women healed themselves on just one cup of chamomile a day. You might try, adding a cup of chamomile tea to this program. Additionally, I would recommend using something gentle on a daily basis (like the lavender and chamomile) but make ANOTHER mixture with the juniper and rosemary for days when the pain is worse. Those are strong oils and would be too strong for you to use on a daily basis.

These are some of my feedback notes to a student that turned in the test for the aromatherapy unit. As always, I post these with the idea that all students can learn from each other:

Student answer: (An aromatherapy mixture for grief) Since there is grief and guilt, which is a disappointmentI would make a blend of the following: Rose (disappointment, grief, sadness and shock), Jasmine (disappointment, grief, sadness), and Rosewood (sadness).I would use these oils because of the ease of administration. As well, they will quickly go to the limbic system, effecting the emotions. I would use this blend as a spray that the client could either spray in the air when needed or wear as a perfume.

My Feedback: This sounds perfect – oils are so good for grief because they surround the body with their healing properties and they work on a strong emotional level too, with scent memory. Rose is perfect for this situation. Jasmine would be a great addition. The rosewood is good too, however, perhaps not necessary. You might want to try it with just the first two before you add more. I tend to stick with one or two and THEN go to three. I don’t like going beyond three ingredients. I like to focus instead on really getting to know each herb to the depth of its being. I think a lot of formulas on the market today use many many herbs because they are only looking at one aspect of the herb’s personality. An herb has a deep personality much like a person – layers and layers of it. Some of them hidden until you know them well. So I recommend using one herb or oil for a while and really getting to know it. Not just what is in the books – but an intuitive knowledge as well.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

One of them has better lighting than the other, but thought you might could pull from both. In the one you can see the white color in the ring. It might be a nerve ring. Also, is the dark area around the scurf ring ..........a scurf ring or is that circulation related??? it goes in so much deeper in that area than any other place. Anything you find helpful throw in if you don't care.........When I get to drive down and see my iridologist she helps me, but she is 200 miles away. I am a visual learner if that makes sense...........I take pictures of the eyes I look at and them study them. Thank you in advance for your time. Do you have a fee for like if I sent you a pic of an eye and you help me with it........I don't mind paying you for your time. - J (photos attached)

Dear (J),

Ah-ha! Now I see what you are talking about. I do see the white on the nerve ring. The nerve ring itself is white and extending a little bit into the "near-the-pupil" area. This indicates nerve inflammation or nerve stress. So this person could be under stress of some sort - physically or emotionally.

The darkness around the outer rim IS a surf rim - yes.

I hope this helps. I still have the photos if you have more questions about them or if I was not looking at the right place and answered the wrong question or something.

You also asked about fees for helping you read the iris photos. I don't have a fee per reading but I am answering all consulting questions now at the new group described at:

A couple other students have joined that group so they can get on-going consulting help with their clients or iris readings. It would be great to have you on the group. Everyone there would LOVE to see your photos and questions!

I am sending everyone one free mini-consultation (like this) with this reminder since this is a new list and not everyone is aware of it yet.

Of course, I am still answering questions about assignments on the list for students.

Steve and I have been working on this project for more than a year now so we are very happy to finally be announcing its debut!

For those of you that are familiar with http://www.thewaldorfchannel.com/ - this new channel is done in the same style, however, it covers all areas of natural living and is hosted by Steven Zay Granberg as well as I. Of course we will have videos from other people - just like on The Waldorf Channel - however, we will both be hosting these videos. I hope you enjoy it! We will be updating it every two weeks.

Be sure to join the Herb'n Home mailing list to receive any further announcements about the channel and our free newsletter.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Each week or two I like to share some of the dialogue I have with students that I think everyone might benefit from. I also like to share excerpts from student assignments that I think other students would enjoy reading.

Student says (I do not mention names if the student adds something of a personal nature):My typology would be Choleric - quick but strong and lasting reaction. Hot and dry. Quick tempered. I believe I am Choleric. When I get sick, it usually happens quickly, but is strong and really knocks me down. I have a quick temper, even though I really do try to control it.Very perceptive…a good way to type someone is to look at both the physical and the psychological as you have done! You are also a highly motivated student (this is what I see from my end) – most students like this fall into either the choleric or sanguine temperament. Melancholics are slower and methodical and sanguine are not as steady. Phlegmatics need more outside motivation, but once they get started they can be very steady as well.

Each week or two I like to share some of the dialogue I have with students that I think everyone might benefit from. I also like to share excerpts from student assignments that I think other students would enjoy reading.

Student (name not given to protect privacy) shares that she needs to start exercising again. This is what I shared when I commented on her assignment:I am glad you brought this up! The older you get the more important it is to work out on a daily basis to keep your body flexible and healthy and prevent injury. The program you choose does not even need to be intense. Flexibility and movement are the key – so even a beginner yoga class would be great. Worry more about flexibility and movement than your weight. The weight will come off naturally over time as you make diet and exercise changes. However, the renewed feeling you get from even doing something small will revitalize you within 2 days. I don’t really like gyms but the weather in Iowa here is miserable so I finally joined one. They have a silver shoes program for people over 65 which is based all on light weights and flexibility and movement. They have their class at the same time I am at the gym. This would be perfect – something like that. So many clients I have had have been healed by starting an exercise program again – even a light one. And the amazing thing about it is that you see results within one day or two days so you don’t have to wait to see the results.

If I still live here when I am 65 I am going to join that class! Our bodies get less forgiving as we get older. Did you hear about the 40-year-old Olympic athlete who has to get muscle rubs after each event because her muscles don’t recover as they should after an intense workout anymore? She is a role model for all of us getting older – I am 40 and already feeling my body is less forgiving.

I always share with people that in all the years I have done iridology readings the one constant in the healthy irises I saw was that the people exercised. They may have even had a bad diet or stressful life but as long as they had exercise their iris showed up as healthy. However, people who came in with perfect diets still had many health problems if they did not exercise.

Congratulations to Dr. Katie Craft in New Hampshire for receiving her certificates in aromatherapy and reflexology last week. Keep up the good work! Note: If I have not mentioned you in a congratulation note please tell me. I just started doing this recently so I do not have a regular system for it yet.Blessings & Health,Kristie Karima Burns, Mh, ND

Kimberly did some outside research and had some lovely additions to her assignment last week. Here are some of my favorite excerpts from her assignment. Remember - the more you share with the group the more we can learn from each other:

Signatures can include an herb that resembles a specific organ, for instance, Scrophularia roots look like swollen glands, so it is traditionally used for swollen glands and hemorrhoids. (Matthew Wood, The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines).

Signatures can be suggested through the environment. For instance, Angelica grows in a damp, shady soil, and can help remove cold and damp from the patient.

Signatures can be suggested by the animals that the plant resembles. Wood suggests that Native Americans used this “spirit signature”; an example is Angelica which has a brown, furry resinous root and is called Bear Medicine.

Signatures can be suggested by plants that correspond to the symptoms. For instance, for respiratory and digestive remedies, plants that have hairy leaves that resemble the villa of the mucosa can be used. These include, Comfrey and Mullein.

Signatures can be suggested by their rhythms. For instance, Blood Root, which has flowers that unfold from morning to noon and then close again is used for migraines worse from morning to noon.

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The relationships of the constellations and planets has been seen to influence seeding experiments, as well as, the formation of certain plant organs. In Planetary Influences Upon Plants, by Ernst Michael Kranich, it says that “as early as the 1940’s J. Schultz discovered a correlation between the seed and fruit formation of trees and Jupiter’s twelve-year cycle. For red beech, the years of high seed yields coincided with specific constellations of Jupiter against the zodiac.

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Additionally, signatures can suggest which element has the most influence over a specific plant. In Healing Plants: Insights Through Spiritual Science, by Wilhelm Pelikan, he suggests that the influence of the Air Element in the Umbellifers is suggested by the airy quality of their leaves. Pelikan says, “…the way the carrot family relates to the air. These plants not only reach out into the atmosphere in leaf and flower development but also begin to incorporate air into themselves. They enclose air in their blown-up, bellying leaf sheaths, in hollow stems, stalks, fruits, and air chambers in the rhizomes. In doing so, they go beyond plant and towards animal nature.” Pelikan goes on to suggest that this reaching towards the animal nature makes them good candidates for treating patients with an ‘astral body’ condition.

Thank you Kimberly for a job well done and for making your assignment so enjoyable to read!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

As more and more student work comes in I realize how very important it is for us all to share our experience with clients - tips, methods and whatever else comes to mind. The things that I share in this column will be directly related to student work and client work they have done and are posted as a response to that work. If you would like to comment on my posts or to add some information of your own please feel free to press "reply". We have a wonderful group of students here - many are already practitioners of some type - we have the potential to help each other out in so many ways.

Tip #1: Clients and Depression

While depression is a very real and often scary or harmful condition, many clients are overly fearful of their depressions and can be calmed (or even healed in some cases) by seeing that depression can be normal, effective and healthy. Remind clients that feeling bad or being depressed is normal. We are like the seasons around us. We have a winter, spring, summer and fall. Melancholics experience the winter/fall more than spring and summer and that is OK. That is normal and fine for her. She does not have to feel guilty or depressed about being depressed now and then. Of course, it is good to make sure depression is not running your life and shutting you down, but it is also healthy to let her know that sometimes it is OK to just lie in bed all day or feel bad. Sometimes ALLOWING yourself to fully experience the emotion and the pain and the fear will get rid of it faster. By suppressing it or feeling wrong about having it…sometimes it lingers because it cannot be fully resolved.

Assignment: Try out one of the remedies below and track the results over days or over hours. If the situation is emergency (like a burn or small asthma attack) then track the results and show improvement (or not) over the span of 6 hours. If the situation is acute only (like a bruise) then track the results over a week.

Student Answer: The remedy I tried was gargling with salt water for a sore throat. It seemed to soothe my throat right away and the results lasted a couple of hours. I then repeated the gargling every couple of hours when my throat started hurting again, and the next morning, my throat was not sore at all! It seemed to work better if the water was as warm as I could tolerate it.

Teacher Response: You have discovered the secret! I dislike gargling but this remedy is so effective I can’t not do it. I have tried so many remedies for sore throat and this is the only one that REALLY works!

Just wondering. I have only done so far, 3 or the herb classes and am trying to work through the Iridology and am going to go back to the Nutrition. Just wondering. In any of the classes, do you cover Naturopathic history, philosophy and principles? If not, do you have any information on this? Thanks, J

Dear J,

I do have a wonderful old book written on the topic that I downloaded offline. I will send it to you...skim it and tell me how close it is to what you need. Then I can send you more links depending on what you say. There are so many books on the topic it is hard to tell what you might enjoy reading. There are also many many historical fiction books on the topic that I have greatly enjoyed. Have you read "The Physician" by Noah Gordman? The history of medicine in it is very accurate and the book is amazing.

I will send you the other book in the next e-mail so if you don't receive it please tell me.

I hope everything is going good with your new computer.Just wondering. Do you know how many hours you Naturopathic program is?I will have enough education in total (I believe, someone is about to look over all my work) to register as a Doctor of Natural Medicine. I am including that I am working on your program, so they want to know how many hours all my programs are, so I thought I would include that as well.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

I still have to finish the Nutrition course (stopped because was having trouble in understanding, but now that you have added the video, I am excited to be able to try again.What I am wondering is, as you know I have completed a MH program and a Nutrition & Diet Therapy Specialist program, and I am doing my clinical for my Homeopathic Practitioner program as well as the Rosemary Gladstar Herbalist program. The problem is that, I don't feel that my MH program gave me a good enough consultation info. My Homeopathic program teaches that, but again, I am still not feeling as good as I hoped, mostly I believe because I have only worked with my family so far, but still. My Nutrition program defintely didn't teach consults, I also feel it didn't teach anything about taking what a persons current diet is and then determining a healthy diet for them. So, I am wondering if your Nutrition course teaches how to take a persons diet and determine what the appropriate health diet for them is. As well, is there a course on how to do a consult and intake? Although I have learned this, I want to learn more about it because I am very uneasy about this part. I am ok with working with family, but am not confident for me starting my practice to work with non-family.Thanks, J

Dear J,

I have an entire unit on consulting which I have been considering making part of every unit of the course. Right now it is part of the ENTIRE naturopathic healing course. It is Unit 12. I also feel that this is a very important aspect of learning - you can learn as much as you want, but learning HOW to apply that is very important.

I am not sure if you have access to unit 12 right now. However, I would be happy to give you access (as some time in the next year I will be adapting it to go with every course anyway) and I would appreciate having some feedback from someone with your experience. I have designed the consultation part of the course to give people confidence with consulting and to give them a lot of resources and ideas about how to consult. However, I would appreciate hearing if it actually does accomplish that and if not, how I could improve it.

So, if you have access to unit 12, we can work on that together. If you don't, please tell me, and I will send it to you.

Additionally, when I was first starting out I was in a similar situation. I found I had completed a lot of courses but was not sure how to go about consulting. What you have learned in the homeopathic program might not be enough, but it will help you. It helped me get a base to build on.

Other things that helped me were learning iridology (this is entirely a diagnostic method) and studying typololgy and temperaments as an entire unit of study. Both of these methods helped me immensely in evaluating and seeing clients and their needs.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Dear Kristie,For some reason, I cannot quite understand what you want here. Can you rephrase it or give me an example?

Assignment 201:2

1. Using the first article please list 2 ways you can decide what herb to use by knowing it’s energetic properties. List 2 more ways you can decide NOT to use an herb by knowing it’s energetic properties.

Blessings, R

Dear R,

A simple example would be if you know an herb has an energetic property of cooling you might choose it to use for a fever. If you know an herb has an energetic property of heating you would know NOT to use to for a fever or for anyone who was anxious, or for someone with a choleric (fire) personality or condition.

Hello I know you are busy and I do n ot expect a response very quick! But wanted to ask, I did the enrollment and I have not gotten a password! I was in the student lounge trying to fingure all this out and came across this I will paste it so I do not mess it up! Off the course link. - VDear Vickie,

This is an easy question so I can answer quickly. It is those long or multiple questions that I need to file and save for "student office hours" on Fridays but usually short questions get an answer within an hour or two.

When you enroll in the payment plan for the course you are enrolled in each unit as your payments clear. So you are enrolled in the Iridology portion now (as per your request). When the next payment for the course is made then you will be enrolled in the next unit (you choose) and so on....

To access the links you must first be a member. You should be a member of the iridology group so you should be able to press on those links and they will take you to the Yahoogroups associated with those files. E-books, guides, charts, tests, assignments and all audio and visual are there too.

Once you link to the page Yahoogroups will ask you for your Yahoogroups password. If you do not remember it then you can contact Yahoogroups help for a "lost password" and they will assist you.

Tests are either at the end of the readings or in another file at the same location. Some units have one test and some have up to 5 assignments/tests.

Note: The temperament CD is free with the nutritional healing and the typology course. If you are not part of these courses and you would like to purchase it as an instant download you can visit:Temperament CD DownloadBlessings & Health,Kristie Karima Burns, MH, ND

Saturday, February 23, 2008

I am happy to announce the addition of one more video in my ongoing project to create a video for each unit of this course. If you have a request on a video you would like to see please tell me. So far this course offers the following:

Herbal Preparations Instructional Videos - 3 videos - 10 minutes long

How to Give a Reflexology Treatment Instructional Videos - 25 minutes long

Iridology Instructional Video - Power point style instruction - 8 minutes long. Intended to be watched more than once & paused for instruction and viewing. Includes over 25 close-up photos.

If you are a member of the iridology section of the course and have not yet received your iridology video (online) please contact me! If you would like to join the iridology portion of the course and you are already a student in another course at http://www.natruopathichealingcourse.com/ I am offering a discount for current students until March 1st, 2008. All current students can enroll in the iridology portion of the course WITH CHART & PENLIGHT for only $50.00 (Regular price $75.00). Please use the following link to pay if you are interested: http://tinyurl.com/37wh93

If you are an iridology student only and you are now jumping up and down going - hey! I paid $75.00 for that course and now it is on sale (that's what I would be doing) I can also make you a special offer. You can choose any other course from the series for 20% off. Please write to me with the course you would like and I will send you a payment link.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Just a note to let you know, I did a reflexology session on my mother in law when she was having a migraine, after she did not have a headache and was able to go about her day.......I was so impressed. I love this class. - JC

Dear JC,Thank you for sharing that with me! The other day my son had slept wrong on his neck and I did a quick session on him and he could move his neck again! I love using reflexology on my own family. I am so thankful for it and I love to hear other people's stories too!

Saturday, January 26, 2008

I have always been interested in the role that intuition has to do with healing. There have been numerous studies done on it in the medical world and many stories told of it in the natural healing world. The results of this observation and study seem to agree on one thing - intuition factors into healing but nobody knows how much.

The Institute of Noetic Sciences is doing a study about this topic, among many others and YOU can participate. As you participate you learn more about your own intuitive abilities (you may have more than you thought!) and you are also given the opportunity to improve them. From the other end, the institute is writing down results to help them in their study. It is an amazingly fun and cooperative project.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

However, I do need to say, once again, that I am not against doctors. I think they are brilliant and have a lot of knowledge and if I had a broken leg I would certainly want one around! I am just against the general METHODS of allopathic treatment - which even herbalists can use sometimes. I have seen herbalists prescribing herbs using this same allopathic method and the mass manufacture (and near decline) of the herb echinacea is a good example of this.

This is a great educational video. I think it could have been made in a less "slanted" manner but for now...it is one of the best I have seen on the topic.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

A consulting client of mine was doing a large amount of consulting with the clerk at a local health food store. While there are some clerks who are properly trained I still feel that actual consulting in this situation is not appropriate. These clerks are probably the most informed as to the products they are selling but answering any questions outside of this range, without having a full profile on the person in front of them (do they ever ask if you are pregnant, nursing or taking other medications?) can be dangerous.

This is also something we need to consider as healers or as people training to be healers. Are we being responsible in our advice-giving? This is one reason I don't give free consulting. I don't feel that answering a question without knowing someone's full health history is responsible. So I will help guide people in the right direction so they can do some more research or I will give them some "general advice" in a Letter to the Editor response, but in no case can I see that it would be responsible to hand out personal advice without knowing your client more extensively.

Here was my advice to her:

Dear AH,

...However, I just became a bit concerned when I received more than one e-mail about your consultations with the health food store clerk/owner/?.

I am concerned about people who are running health-food stores or natural healing stores offering themselves as consultants. This, to me, is like a pharmacist telling you what medicine to take when you go to the pharmacy. What if the doctor prescribed your daughter a cream for her skin or a certain antibiotic and then the pharmacist said "Oh, no, you should take this one"? It is irresponsible for three reasons:

1. It is a conflict of interest. How can you REALLY trust someone and how can they really trust themselves to give you the best opinion when they are also selling the product?

2. It is irresponsible. You can only advise someone on dosages and formulas once you know their entire story. Unless the pharmacist or store owner is going to sit with you for a half hour and ask questions or read a 4 page questionnaire then they should be more cautious.

3. They usually do not have the proper training. And if they did they would know better than to be handing out advice "on the fly" without a consultation. I cringe. I want to cry every time I go to purchase things at my local health food store and I see the clerk advising someone on an herb to take by opening up a few books they have on the counter and saying "the book says..." It is horrifying! I have actually had clients in my office who were ill from taking herbs that were advised to them in this way.

Books are for reference by a person who already has training in a field. Or they can give you guidelines on where to look or consider healing. They can also be used for things like colds, headaches, etc...However, you need to have a lot of background training to be able to use a book to diagnose and suggest cures for chronic diseases. And the books are often misleading. I have about 60 books that I use on a regular basis to cross reference various things. This is because one book may suggest 4 drops of carrot oil (as is in your case) and another may suggest 40 drops. One book may say never to take a certain herb but in another book it may tell you that it is safe. None of the books say the same things exactly.

This is where training comes in. The person who is trained takes what is in the book (or in their head) and can cross reference it with the hundreds of cases they have seen and dealt with. They can consult with others in their field that they know and in the end they can come up with an educated answer for their client based on a wide knowledge of the client's needs AND a wide range of reference and knowledge of the materials they are using.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

This may be a silly question but I can't figure out the testing/quiz procedure. I did find and complete the first tests for both the Aromatherapy and Reflexology courses. Do you email subsequent tests after you grade the first ones or are they in the files under the course listing and I'm just overlooking them?

Thank you, S

Dear S,

No question is silly! From my end sometimes I think I am explaining things so clearly but the feedback I get sometimes tells me I am not...so...All the quizzes and tests and assignment are IN the Yahoogroups files section with the reading assignments. Some chapters and units have more assignments and some have fewer assignments. Once you finish a test you can go ahead and complete the next one. You can work at your own pace and you don't need to wait for me.

However, I have a "Student Day" every Friday, so if you don't get your work back (with corrections or comments) by Friday, please tell me because I may not have received it.